The Lost Stradivarius · Theme
Music as a Dangerous Force
How The Lost Stradivarius develops Music as a Dangerous Force.
Music, particularly the gagliarda from the 'Areopagita' suite, is portrayed as having a profound and potentially malevolent power, capable of summoning spirits, altering consciousness, and leading listeners toward moral decay and madness.
Where it surfaces
- Epigraph
The epigraph compares a tale out of season to music in mourning, linking music with sorrow and disruption.
- The Lost Stradivarius
The Gagliarda, a specific piece of music, acts as a trigger for the supernatural phenomena, and the discovery of the Stradivarius violin sets in motion a chain of tragic events, portraying music as a conduit for dark forces.
- I
The music of the gagliarda seems to trigger supernatural phenomena, suggesting that music holds a power beyond mere entertainment.
- II
The gagliarda triggers both the chair noises and John's vision, implying that the music has a powerful, potentially dangerous effect.
- Chapter III
The gagliarda from the Areopagita suite seems to summon the apparition, linking music to the supernatural.
- IV
The gagliarda is portrayed as having a fatal power, capable of summoning the dead and linked to past sin, illustrating music's potential for evil.
- V
The gagliarda continues to exert a powerful influence, with Sophia feeling reluctance and fear when playing it, yet being charmed by its melody.
- Chapter VI
The gagliarda and the 'Areopagita' suite are central to the events, with the echo of the gagliarda heard just before the discovery.
- VII
The violin, an instrument of music, becomes a source of intense personal excitement and potential conflict, suggesting its powerful and possibly dangerous influence.
- Chapter VIII
Adrian Temple was a masterly musician who used his art for base purposes, linking music to moral corruption.
- IX
John's secretive playing of the Stradivarius and his refusal to share it with Gaskell highlight the isolating and possessive nature of music.
- The Summer and the Wedding
John's obsessive playing of the Stradivarius violin becomes a source of isolation and distress, symbolizing his inner turmoil.
- Chapter XI
The gagliarda's haunting melody drives John to madness and disrupts domestic harmony.
- XV
The gagliarda and the violin continue to haunt John, culminating in a terrifying sleepwalking episode on Christmas morning.
- Mr. Gaskell’s Note
The gagliarda melody is described as having a deleterious influence, and the violin's music is linked to John's ruin.
